shoutenzan

Looks like Kotomitsuki is gone. Oh well. There are many wonderful rikishi still in sumo.

It's going to be a wonderful basho. I'm really looking forward to it.

Hopefully nobody hides himself in a room for years... fusen, and soon banzukegai It would be a mighty short career.

Who is the King of Comedy Sumo?

Go to the Kyokai Oyakata list in English. He is Kise Oyakata. Or, if that answer seems wrong to you too, try the official Kyokai Kise Beya page in English. Or, if you think their English pages are wrong, go to the official Kise beya page in Japanese, where you can see the hiragana reading as well, which should put your mind at ease.. As an aside, I don't remember any Oyakata heading a heya that doesn't correspond to his name. I wasn't being stubborn, just seeking confirmation. Kise beya is a little unusual, isn't it? What I don't know about sumo could fill volumes. (Sign of approval...)

Oh my goodness me! I take a day and a half off to sing a major concert (Brahms, Elgar, and, among others, the entire Rheinberger Mass (Liechtenstein rules!) followed this morning by an Anglican service that required me to sing a _very_ Russian anthem plus it was my turn to do the Intercessions (aka Prayers of the People) -- and what do I find? a flame war. Hide your heads for shame. Aren't there enough problems in the world? After the service, I got some questions about the topical extras I had put into my intercessions. I was shocked to discover how many of our Tokyo congregation seemed unaware of the ecological disaster still spreading out in Miami and wide environs, and also, here in Japan, the grief over the slaughter of some of the world's best beef stud bulls (which take about eight years to produce) and tens of thousands of other prime cattle in Miyazaki prefecture. And "What's happening in Jamaica?" asked one person. Seriously, don't you people have anything better to do? Totally off-topic, and so it should be. Hear hear! I've spent the day listening to Elektra and Die Walkure and uploading Shostakovich onto my iPhone. They all help me think about the problems in the world. It's a desperate situation out there. Sumo makes life worth living; as does music; and wine.

Not to be a stickler, but isn't he actually Kimura Oyakata ? The heya is Kise beya, but the Oyakata's name is Kimura Sehei. I think the original Kise beya was started by a Gyoji. The sumo reading is Ki(mura) Se (hei). It's one of those things you either know or you don't. Orion So, he is called Kise Oyakata? In the shashin meibo he is referred to as Kimura Sehei.

Not to be a stickler, but isn't he actually Kimura Oyakata ? The heya is Kise beya, but the Oyakata's name is Kimura Sehei. I think the original Kise beya was started by a Gyoji.

This is a great thread. One way to limit it would be to exclude university and high school graduates, and to keep it to Japanese heisei born rikishi.

Well, that was the jist of the joke, after all. When it comes to Japanese, we'd better explain for everybody... (Sign of approval...) My "joke" of the century was when I found out about the coincidence.... We all know about that famous bout between Taima no Kehaya (bad one) and Nomi no Sukune... Kehaya 当麻蹴速 has the kanji 麻 in his name... well, pott is written 大麻 and pronounced "Taima" as well... erm... I made a stupid, and I thought funny, Japanese mistake the other day talking about sumo. I was talking about the kimarite that a rikishi often uses when he does a henka. I called it a hikikomori (引き籠もり) instead of a hatakikomi （叩き込み）. After I thought about it I figured the hikikomori would either be a fusen or a new kimeteniyoranai kimarihou（決め手によらない決まり方）.

quoting jakusotsu in the german chat: "it's an honour to lose to kaio" (tranlated from german) Kotooshu put up a much better fight against Hakuho yesterday. I guess he wanted the honour of losing to Kaio.

1000 kachi for Kaio. How much has that cost him, I wonder?

Ha ha ha! Is this the kind of high humour I should aspire to on the forum? Of course it is, otherwise you are obliged to pay for being a forum member. Ha ha ha! Hilarious! Thanks-finally someone who appreciates real humor! It must have been my upbringing.

Ha ha ha! Is this the kind of high humour I should aspire to on the forum? Of course it is, otherwise you are obliged to pay for being a forum member. Ha ha ha! Hilarious!

I don't think your example (Raido) is an accurate example. No comparison can be made between Raido and Aoiyama. Raido after Zensho Yusho in Jonokuchi spent 8 basho in Jonidan, 13 basho in Sandanme and 57 basho in Makushita. I don't think this is a right example for a talented rikishi. You're right, of course, that they're not comparable. However, it seems that rikishi who enter sumo older tend to get to the higher divisions quickly, but then flounder. Raido wasn't a good example. Kokkai, on the other hand, took 15 basho to get to makuuchi, but apparently has a neck injury, and has been on the maegashira elevator for the past 2 years since reaching his highest rank at komusubi. I don't think anyone one want to see Aoiyama struggle to get to the upper divisions only to get injured. Better to develop good technique in the lower division even if it takes a little longer to get to the top. Chiyonofuji didn't have the most stellar career in the lower divisions: only one makushita yusho. He even returned to makushita briefly after having made it as high as maegashira 12. Of course, it's their careers in the upper divisions that count, in the end.